Arab ministers sign counter-terror agreements

Arab justice ministers endorsed a raft of counter-terrorism legislation during the 32nd session of the Ministerial Council of Arab Ministers of Justice at the Arab League headquarters in Cairo on November 24th.

The new agreements show the extent of the countries’ seriousness and determination to prosecute terror-related crimes in a way that is integrated with security and military pursuit operations, experts told Al-Mashareq.

Cairo University professor of international relations Muhyuddin Ghanem, who attended the preparatory committee meetings, described the Ministerial Council session as one of the most important in recent years.

"It was dedicated to a wide range of laws pertaining to terrorism and ways to combat it," he told Al-Mashareq.

The ministers unanimously approved 15 laws by agreement, he said, whereby each of the laws is tied to an agreement that expedites its joint implementation.

Among them are Arab agreements on combating terrorism, money laundering and the financing of terrorism, and strengthening Arab and international co-operation to combat terrorism.

Additional laws tackle corruption, narcotic drugs and psychotropic substances , provide guidelines for assisting terror victims, prevent trade in human organs and tissues, improve conditions for refugees and safeguard civil aviation.

"An agreement was reached in response to demands by a number of members on stopping and preventing terrorists from exploiting the advances made in information technology to curb the dissemination of their extremist ideas via social media," Ghanem said.

The meetings that paved the way for the adoption of the agreements "were marked by smooth discussions and positive responses by all members", he said.

This reflects the common desire to pass these agreements, he added, "in view of the danger posed to everyone, without exception, by terrorists and the extremist groups that have spread in Arab countries in recent years".

Unified legal strategy

Agreements passed by the Arab Ministers of Justice mostly pertain to fighting terrorism, Regional Centre for Strategic Studies researcher and Cairo University criminal law professor Wael al-Sharimi told Al-Mashareq.

"This reflects the gravity of the situation and the determination of Arab countries to dry up the sources of terrorism on the military, security, ideological and financial levels," he said.

It is not possible to proceed with the military battle to eradicate terrorism without "the formulation of a common Arab legal strategy" to prosecute perpetrators and hold them to account, he said.

"Many crimes are directly linked to terrorism, including money laundering, illegal immigration, human trafficking and the financing of terrorism," al-Sharimi said.

Suspects in many terrorism cases used to be able to evade legal proceedings by exploiting loopholes or due to the absence of joint Arab agreements, he said.

The new agreements will put a tight cordon around terrorist groups, he added, noting that future outcomes are bound to improve.

The individual efforts of Arab states have given way to a joint effort, al-Sharimi said, "and this will give security and intelligence teams more space to track and arrest suspects and refer them to the judicial authorities".

Assisting terror victims

Some of the most important decisions taken by the Arab justice ministers were those pertaining to a unified Arab guideline draft law on assisting the victims of terrorist acts, said Cairo University psychology professor and family therapist Waliyyuddin Mukhtar.

"Victims of terrorism are at the present time in dire need of legal, psychological and financial redress, especially in view of the fact that large numbers of citizens from various Arab countries are directly exposed to terrorist threats," he said.

Some, for example, may become "direct witnesses to many of the crimes committed by the terrorists", he said, so legal formulas must be found to protect them from potential retaliation.

"The draft law focuses on assisting those who are victimized by acts of terror, and this ensures they are provided psychological and financial assistance," he added.

This move, along with other legislation passed by the Arab Ministers of Justice, clearly indicates that "Arab countries are fully aware of the seriousness of the upcoming phase", he said.